Nico Rosberg was fastest in the opening practice session for the Malaysian Grand Prix on Friday morning, whilst team-mate Lewis Hamilton ran into trouble.
The key points from FP1:
– Rosberg quickest with a 1:40.124, more than three-tenths quicker than nearest rival Kimi Raikkonen for Ferrari.
– Sebastian Vettel was third fastest, completing the top three alongside his team-mate.
– Hamilton suffered engine troubles according to Mercedes and was forced to abandon his first flying lap.
– Upon returning to track to set a time, his Mercedes W06 stopped at Turn 9, ending his session early.
– Fernando Alonso set his first timed lap of the new season following his return. A 1:42.885 put him just 2.8s off Rosberg’s best.
– Manor also made their debut, with both Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi setting times, putting them 18th and 19th respectively.
– Both Manor cars managed to get within 107 per cent of Rosberg’s time, which will be encouraging news for the struggling team.
| # | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
| 01 | N. Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:40.124 | – | 20 |
| 02 | K. Raikkonen | Ferrari | 1:40.497 | 0.373 | 17 |
| 03 | S. Vettel | Ferrari | 1:40.985 | 0.861 | 13 |
| 04 | R. Grosjean | Lotus | 1:41.543 | 1.419 | 14 |
| 05 | C. Sainz Jr | Toro Rosso | 1:41.596 | 1.472 | 26 |
| 06 | D. Ricciardo | Red Bull | 1:41.787 | 1.663 | 15 |
| 07 | M. Verstappen | Toro Rosso | 1:41.803 | 1.679 | 23 |
| 08 | V. Bottas | Williams | 1:41.882 | 1.758 | 23 |
| 09 | D. Kvyat | Red Bull | 1:42.055 | 1.931 | 18 |
| 10 | M. Ericsson | Sauber | 1:42.064 | 1.940 | 16 |
| 11 | F. Massa | Williams | 1:42.103 | 1.979 | 23 |
| 12 | P. Maldonado | Lotus | 1:42.567 | 2.443 | 19 |
| 13 | R. Marciello | Sauber | 1:42.621 | 2.497 | 13 |
| 14 | F. Alonso | McLaren | 1:42.885 | 2.761 | 20 |
| 15 | N. Hulkenberg | Force India | 1:42.893 | 2.769 | 13 |
| 16 | S. Perez | Force India | 1:43.054 | 2.930 | 15 |
| 17 | J. Button | McLaren | 1:43.100 | 2.976 | 19 |
| 18 | W. Stevens | Marussia | 1:46.686 | 6.562 | 8 |
| 19 | R. Merhi | Marussia | 1:47.683 | 7.559 | 8 |
| 20 | L. Hamilton | Mercedes | – | – | 4 |
